Craig Joubert who has been having some downtime before heading off to Harare this weekend for a Victoria Cup match, answers readers' questions.

1. Name: BC

E-mail: brendan.cheyne@canterburynz.com

Question: In the weekend All Blacks vs Springboks Test, approximately six minutes in, Ricky Januarie is at the base of the scrum after a Springbok feed - he dummy runs to the open side and McCaw is caught off-side by Alan Lewis, the referee.

Is this not an offence under 20.9 (h)? An Action to make opponents think the ball has left the scrum?

Thanks

Law 20.9 (h) Scrumhalf dummying, A scrumhalf must not take any action to make the opponents think that the ball is out of the scrum while it is still in the scrum.
Sanction: Free kick

Craig Joubert: Hi Brendan,

You are correct, the law says that a scrumhalf must not take any action to make the opponents think that the ball is out of the scrum while it is still in the scrum. In this case I believe that, prior to McCaw unbinding, January did just that and was liable to free kick.

Cheers, Craig

2. Name: Peter Shortell

Question: At a line-out on Saturday Victor Matfield stood in the receiver position to start with, but then ran into the line-out before the ball was thrown and was lifted to take it.

Law 19.8 (i): Where the receiver must stand. The receiver must stand at least 2 metres towards that player's goal line from that player's team-mates who are line-out players and between 5 and 15 metres from the touchline until the line-out begins.

Exception: The receiver may run into the gap.[...]

The exception (which was in another paragraph last year) might seem to over-rule the phrase ?until the line-out begins?. However IRB Ruling 9 of 2009 said:

The provisions of Law 19.8 (i) do apply to Exception 2 in Law 19.11 [last year] which means that a receiver cannot run into a gap in the line-out until the ball has left the hands of the player throwing in.

The IRB Notes on the 2010 law changes merely suggest that the move of the exception was a simplification, not a law change. So where do we stand now?

Law 19 DEFINITIONS
Receiver. The receiver is the player in position to catch the ball when line-out players pass or knock the ball back from the line-out. Any player may be the receiver but each team may have only one receiver at a line-out.

Players taking part in the line-out known as participating players. Players taking part in the line-out are the player who throws-in and an immediate opponent, the two players waiting to receive the ball from the line-out and the line-out players.

2010: Law 19.8 (i) Where the receiver must stand. The receiver must stand at least 2 metres towards that player’s goal line from that player’s team-mates who are line-out players and between 5 and 15 metres from the touchline until the line-out begins.
Sanction: Free Kick on the 15-metre line
Exception: The receiver may run into the gap and perform any of the actions available to any other player in the line-out. The receiver is liable to sanction for offences in the line-out as would be other players in the line-out.

2009: Law 19.8 (i) Where the receiver must stand. The receiver must stand at least 2 metres towards that player’s goal line from that player’s team-mates who are line-out players and between 5 and 15 metres from the touchline until the line-out begins.
Sanction: Free Kick on the 15-metre line

2009: Law 19.11 OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO PLAYERS NOT IN THE LINE-OUT

Exception 2: The receiver may run into the gap and perform any of the actions available to any other player in the line-out. The receiver is liable to penalty for offences in the line-out as would be other players in the line-out.

Craig Joubert: Hi Peter,

The law allows for a receiver to enter the line-out to perform any actions available to any other players in the line-out. (19.8 (i) exception). The law also allows for line-out participants (which includes the line-out players and the receiver) to change places before the ball is thrown. (19.8 (k)). Whilst the ruling 9 from the IRB confirms that the receiver cannot enter the line-out before the ball is thrown in, you would have noticed that when Matfield entered the line-out before the ball was thrown, one of his team mates would have fallen out to play receiver, thus satisfying the criteria of law 19.8 (k) which talks to line-out participants changing their position prior to the ball being thrown.

Cheers, Craig

Law 19.8 (k) Participating players in a line-out may change places before the ball is thrown.

3. Name: Hendri Richter 

Question: Hello.

I have a question at a maul. A team forms a maul and moves forward. The front part of the maul then peels off/disintegrate legally, leaving a few players from the attacking team still in a maul formation with the ball at the back with no defenders bound to the maul.

Now is this still a maul even though no defenders are attached to it?

Law 17.5 states that a maul ends successfully when: 1. the ball or player with the ball  leaves the maul, 2. the ball is on the ground and 3. the ball is on or over the goal line. 

Therefore only an attacking team can end a maul successfully. However is this then truck and trailer?

Keep up the good work and thanks for a great site!

Regards, Hendri  

Craig Joubert: Hi Hendri, 

Your observation is correct. If the defenders peel away the front part of a maul, the ball carrying team can continue to move forward since it is deemed to be the same maul for the reasons you have listed - no truck 'n trailer. If the ball carrying team detach from the original maul to form a new one or to change their angle of attack then the ball must be at the front or else they are at risk of truck 'n trailer.

Cheers, Craig

4. Name: Pieter Bekker 

Question: Hi, I would just like to know one simple thing please.  If during a line-out a player knocks the ball on about six metres into the field of play, and there is no advantage, is the scrum then on the 15-metre line in from where the knock on was, or on the spot six metres in the field of play.

And am I right in saying that if a ball is kicked by red and the blue player is standing outside the playing area, if blue knock the ball back before the ball has crossed the plain of touch, then you can play on?

Thanks for a great site! 

Craig Joubert: Hi Pieter,

Any scrum ordered because of an infringement or stoppage at the line-out is on the 15-metre line on the line of touch.

You are correct in your touch line judgement, provided the player knocks the ball and does not catch it.

Cheers, Craig

5. Name: David Johns 

Question: Hi,

I was wondering what happens if a sin-binned player enters the field of play before the 10 minutes are up. Is the sin-binned player given a red card (2nd yellow) for re-entering, or is the official that sent them back on responsible for the offence?  

Craig Joubert: Hi David,

No replacement/substitute/returning player may join the match without the referee/touch line officials permission. The sanction is a penalty kick at the place where play would restart. If the referee deemed that the offence was cynical then a yellow card would be appropriate.

6. Name: Brendan Sutcliffe 

Question: Mine isn't a question. But it is nice to get to the referees. After the break from rugby with the Football World Cup, I would like to congratulate the referees on their excellent work. If football referees mess up so often in high profile games and they only need to know a tenth of the laws a rugby referee does, I have been far too harsh on you guys. I still say that there are some laws you could change to make your lives easier, but overall you guys put in a great performance, week in and out. Keep up the great work.    

Craig Joubert: Thanks Brendan,

Appreciate the support.

Cheers, Craig